


Pack Gathering

by SailorChibi



Series: puppy play [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Play, Collars, Cuddling, Diapers, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Dress Up, F/M, Hand Feeding, Headspace, Leashes, Little Headspace, Little!Skye, M/M, Master/Pet, Multi, No Sex, Non sexual puppy play, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Nudity, Pet Play, Platonic Cuddling, Protective Rhodey, Public Nudity, Puppy Piles, Puppy Play, Puppy!Clint, Puppy!Tony, Team as Family, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, avengers being cute, bottles, clint is a little shit, daddy!Bucky, daddy!Phil, handler!thor, kitten!Loki, kitten!jane, loki is a little shit, non sexual age play, owner!bucky, owner!steve, owner!thor, peeing, peeing outdoors, petting, platonic sleeping together, pretty much just fluff, puppy headspace, puppy!bruce, tony stark works too hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-08-31 20:25:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8592295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: What started out as a quiet weekend for Tony and Steve quickly turned into a sleepover for the whole group.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A commission for anon, who really wanted to see the whole group together in all their pet/little playing glory. I took the liberty of sneaking in Loki, Coulson and Skye.

For the third time in less than twenty minutes, Tony had to put a hand over his mouth to muffle his yawn. He tried to pretend like he was just scratching his chin, but from the look Pepper gave him, he wasn't fooling anyone. He shot her an apologetic look in response and glanced down at the papers in front of him, but his eyes refused to focus. The black type smeared together into gibberish that made his temples ache, and the droning voice echoing through the room wasn't helping.

Just how long had this guy been blathering on, anyway? Too long. Tony was starting to lose patience, and he could tell that Pepper was feeling the same way. She was just more composed about it. But even her polite smile was definitely starting to fade. Finally - mercifully - Hammer finished speaking and rocked back on his heels, grinning smugly as he looked around the room.

"So what do you think?" he asked, clearly expecting the whole room to fall all over themselves with praise. Behind him, the god-awful, clunky presentation that Tony had spent the past three hours trying to ignore went black. Another mercy.

"I think Mr. Stark and I need to talk it over," Pepper said, sounding strained.

"What's there to talk about? Do you need me to repeat -"

"No," Pepper said firmly, a little too hastily, and Tony bit back a smile. "We have your report. We'll be in touch. Thanks for your time." She stood up and held out a hand for Hammer to shake. He obliged, but also darted in to kiss her cheek in a complete display of gross unprofessionalism. Tony might have thrown up a little bit at the sight; the remains of Pepper's polite smile vanished and her eyes turned murderous.

The second the door closed behind Hammer and his associates, Pepper made a disgusted sound and started wiping frantically at her cheek. "He kissed me! Of all the nerve."

"You should've kicked him in the balls," Tony said.

"I wanted to, but we might actually need his help," Pepper said.

"I'd rather burn in hell," Tony muttered, meaning it. "Anyone but Justin Hammer, Pep. I mean, did you see that presentation? I do not want the name of Stark Industries anywhere _near_ that kind of work. He'll ruin our reputation in a matter of weeks."

Pepper sighed. "I should be telling you that's not true, but honestly I'm just relieved I won't have to spend another four hours in a room with him," she said, shuddering. "I'm wearing a business suit and he still looks at me like I'm naked."

"Go shower?" Tony suggested lamely. What he really wanted to do was march out of the room and show Hammer why it was important to not be a disgusting, misogynistic asshole, but Pepper had warned him before that she didn't like it when Tony fought her battles for her. And that was fair enough, because then she'd gone on to prove that she was a hundred times better at getting subtle revenge than Tony could ever hope to be. It still aggravated him, though. Pepper deserved so much more than being treated like a walking pair of tits and ass.

"I plan to. A very long hot, shower with ample soap. And you should answer your phone. It's been vibrating non-stop." She extracted Tony's phone from her pocket and handed it over, having confiscated it at the beginning of the meeting so that Tony wouldn't become even more distracted than he already was.

"It's Steve."

"I figured," Pepper said. "No one else is that persistent."

Tony smiled fondly. "He is, isn't he? Night, Ms. Potts."

"Good night, Mr. Stark."

Tony waved at her absently, already scrolling through the missed calls and texts. It warmed his heart to have proof of just how understanding Steve was; unlike some of the people that Tony had dated in the past, who usually stormed out the door after calling him a workaholic, Steve actually understood when Tony had to stay late because last minute problems or meetings had popped up. It was surprisingly refreshing.

He dialled the familiar number and put the phone to his ear. "Hey babe," he said when someone answered. "What's going on?"

"Steve's finally decided that he loves me more, _babe_ ," Clint's obnoxious voice replied.

In the background, Steve yelled, "Clint! Give me my phone!"

Tony smirked. "Did you steal Steve's phone again?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Clint did not like being ignored, regardless of whether he was in his human or his puppy headspace. It was usually a hard-learned lesson, one that Steve had yet to absorb.

"No," Clint said, then yelped. There was the brief sound of bickering. Tony raised his eyebrows and walked down the hall to his office, unable to keep the grin off his face as he listened to Steve scolding Clint. The problem was, Steve was a pushover and they all knew it. His scolding never stuck.

"Hey," Steve said finally, sounding breathless. "You still at work?"

"Just leaving. Been a hell of a day," Tony said. Hearing Steve's voice was enough to make some of the knots in his shoulders unwind. He collapsed into the chair behind his desk and looked ruefully at the stack of paperwork on his desk. Pepper might be the CEO, but an unfortunate amount of this crap still required his signature.

"Anything unusual happen?"

"Not really. More of the same. Pep's awesome, Hammer's a dick." The yawn this time took him by surprise, and Steve laughed softly.

"You sound exhausted. Do you want to forego supper at Buck's tonight and just grab a pizza?"

"Supper at - oh shit, Steve, I'm sorry. I completely forgot." Tony sat up straight, wincing, because suddenly he did remember the dinner they were supposed to be having at Bucky's, Natasha's and Clint's. Nothing fancy, but it had been a while since the five of them had gotten together. No wonder Steve had been trying to contact him. He'd probably missed out on the whole thing by now.

"It's okay," Steve said gently. "Really, sweetheart, it's fine. Bucky's not even home yet; he was running late too. You still have plenty of time to make it if you want to. But if you're tired -"

"No! No, I'm not too tired," Tony said. It was a lie, because he really was exhausted and ten minutes ago all he'd wanted was to go home to bed, but he didn't care. He was determined not to mess up this relationship. This was too important. As of right now, sleep was for the weak: he'd leave now and come in early to do the rest of the paperwork so that Pepper didn't get angry.

"Are you sure?"

"Totally. I'm on my way right now. Give me twenty minutes."

"Okay. Drive safe."

"I always drive safe," Tony said, smiling when Steve snorted. They said their goodbyes and hung up. He took a moment to rub at his temples, wondering how the hell he could've forgotten about dinner. Steve had only reminded him twice this morning. 

"I'm an idiot," he muttered to himself, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair and hurrying out the door. The only good thing about working late on a Thursday night was that it meant the rest of the office was quiet. Most of his employees would have left by seven, and Pepper had probably shooed out any of the lingering workers on her way out the door. So Tony was able to make it down to the parking garage unimpeded. In less than two minutes, he was in his car and on the roads.

With the traffic, though, it was closer to forty-five minutes before Tony pulled into the driveway. Steve was waiting outside on the deck for him. Even before Tony had turned the engine of the car off, Steve had stood up and was walking towards him. Tony got out quickly, wishing that he'd had the time to stop somewhere for a bottle of wine or dessert or something, anything, that might make his tardiness okay.

He was fully expecting Steve to be angry. Instead, Steve walked right up to him and pulled Tony into a huge hug. Tony tensed a little, surprised, but just as quickly he melted into the embrace. Steve gave the best hugs out of anyone that he knew except for maybe Thor. He couldn't help resting his chin on Steve's shoulder and closing his eyes for a few seconds, just to fully enjoy it.

"Hi," Steve whispered finally, warm breath ghosting over Tony's ear. Tony shivered, even though it was the middle of July and he was already sweating even though he'd only been out of the car for less than two minutes. Steve just had that effect on him.

"Hi," he whispered back. "I'm sorry I'm late, Steve. And I'm sorry I forgot about dinner. There was this stupid meeting and Pepper took my phone and -"

"Tony, really. It's okay. I know how much you have on your mind. It's not a big deal."

Tony sighed. Steve really was too good for him. "God, I missed you."

"I missed you too," Steve murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "Look, don't be mad at me, okay?"

"That's not ominous at all," Tony said, more amused than concerned. "What did you do? Tell me you didn't scratch one of my cars. Or knock Dummy over again. Or - fuck, tell me you didn't let Clint cook!"

Steve shook with laughter. "Does it look like I want you to be poisoned?" he asked. "No, Natasha made pizza."

Pizza from Natasha? Tony had to swallow some drool. Suddenly he was really glad that he hadn't opted to just go home with some cheap take-out pizza, because that could never compare to Natasha's works of art. "Then why would I be mad at you?"

"I talked to Pepper."

Tony frowned in confusion and pulled back until he could look Steve in the face. "Why would that make me mad?" he asked. Pepper and Steve got along fabulously. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he and Pepper were such good friends, Tony would've been genuinely concerned about having serious competition for Steve's heart and body. He'd seen the way Pepper's eye lingered on Steve's butt, especially when Steve wore those jeans that were at least a size too small. As it was, it just meant that when he and Pepper got drunk together, Steve was a frequent topic of conversation.

"Because she canceled all of your meetings tomorrow and scheduled you a vacation day instead without either of us asking you first?" Steve said.

"She what?" Tony said, shocked. Considering how busy they'd been lately, trying to drum up new investors, he couldn't believe it. "Why?"

"Tony, you've been so exhausted lately. You come home and either pass out right away, or you go down to the workshop and spend all night there. It's not healthy, babe," Steve said, eyes wide and earnest. He cupped Tony's cheek, thumb rubbing at the bags under Tony's right eye. "You're barely sleeping and I can't remember the last time I saw you eat a full meal. Not to mention, it's been two months since I got to see my puppy."

"It's just busy right now," Tony said, torn between getting angry and apologizing. 

"I know. I get that. You're a busy man. I'm not trying to blame you. But Pepper has been worried about you too. She wants you to take this weekend and relax a little, maybe even take Monday as well if you're open to it. Don't think about work or your inventions."

The idea was tempting, Tony had to admit, but - "I don't know, Steve."

"Betty has to go out of town tomorrow night, so Bruce is going to come over for a sleepover," Steve coaxed. "You know you love spending time with him, and he's been just as flat-out busy as you have. I can take care of two puppies for the night. We'll spend Saturday morning with Bruce until he goes home. And then I thought that Saturday night, we could go out for supper together. Just you and me." He leaned in, brushing a gentle kiss over Tony's mouth. "Sunday we can wake up and do whatever we want. Laze around the house or go out for breakfast or spend all day naked."

This was sounding better by the minute. "And you're sure Pepper is okay with it?"

Steve nodded. "It was her idea. She called me, actually, to see if I'd be able to accommodate it at the last minute." He hesitated, then added, "I'm sorry if I've overstepped my bounds by talking to her, but I didn't know what else to do."

"It's fine. Just don't do it again. I don't like it when people plan stuff behind my back," Tony said, though he couldn't bring himself to be mad. This was easily one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for him. 

"Deal," Steve said.

Tony nodded, lifting a hand up to capture Steve's, pressing an absent kiss to back of Steve's hand. "Has it really been two months?"

"Two months and three days, actually."

No wonder Tony had been feeling so wound up lately. Though at this point, he was so tense that he legitimately had no idea how he was going to relax enough to slip into his puppy headspace. He had the feeling that as soon as he started to relax, all the worries and pressure from work were going to overwhelm him. But Steve was looking so worried and hopeful that it was impossible to say no. Just the thought of the crushed expression Tony would undoubtedly earn if he turned Steve down, not to mention having to face Pepper's equally disappointed expression tomorrow morning, was enough for him to agree.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Steve's eyes lit up.

In spite of himself, Tony smiled. "Yes, okay. I'll take tomorrow off," he said. "If you insist."

"I do," Steve said firmly, grinning, and yanked him into another tight hug, practically lifting Tony right up off the ground. "We're gonna have a great weekend, sweetheart. I took tomorrow off too."

"You seemed awfully sure that I was going to say yes," Tony said, enjoying the feeling of looking down into Steve's eyes for once.

"I had a feeling," Steve said, and lowered him back down, pulling him in for another kiss.

"Okay, you two have had fifteen minutes to be all gross," Bucky shouted from the front door. "If you're not in here in two minutes, I'm eating all the pizza by myself!"

That was more than enough to get Tony and Steve moving, both of them hurrying up the steps and into the house. Steve chased a laughing Bucky into the kitchen. Tony shook his head at the two of them and slipped his shoes off. He moved to take off his suit jacket and startled when familiar hands helped to remove it, turning around to find Natasha standing right behind him.

"You can borrow Clint's clothes tonight," she said. It wasn't a suggestion.

"Clint's clothes? But -"

Natasha gave him a look. Wisely, Tony took the hint and shuffled past her.

"You better save me some pizza!" he yelled over his shoulder as he took the steps two at a time. He thought he heard her snort in reply.

Bucky, Clint and Natasha all shared a room, but Tony knew by now that Clint's clothing was stored in the guest bedroom because Clint had to leave the house so much earlier in the morning. He stripped out of his shirt, socks, pants and vest and stood there half-naked, dressed only in his boxers, for a moment. It was hard sometimes to remember how to strip off the Tony Stark mask. Taking off the suit he wore for the public eye was a good first step, not that he would ever admit that to Natasha. 

He found a half-decent pair of jeans and a t-shirt in the closet. Clint was taller and a little wider in the shoulders, and the jeans were a little tight at the midsection, but the fit wasn't too bad. He balled his own clothing up and carried it back downstairs, stashing them in a corner by the door so that he'd remember to take them when they left. Steve would get all huffy when he realized that Tony hadn't bothered to fold anything up, but it all needed to be washed anyway. Then he wandered into the kitchen.

Steve, Bucky and Clint were all sitting at the table, watching Natasha avidly. Tony rolled his eyes and moved to help her; she accepted the aid with a smile, passing him a salad to dress. In less than fifteen minutes, they were all seated around the table with pizza, salad and cold beer. The first bite of pizza was like heaven and it occurred to Tony just how long it had been since he'd last eaten. He and Pepper had attended a lunch meeting of some kind, but the unpleasant company had gone a long way towards souring his appetite, so his food had gone largely untouched.

This was way better than that, anyway. He was sandwiched between Steve and Bucky, across from Natasha and Clint. Steve's thigh was warm against his. Every time Natasha caught his eye, she'd smile. It was hilarious watching Clint sneak bits of food off of Bucky's plate when Bucky wasn't paying attention. It was even better when Bucky finally noticed and yelled at Clint, who just sat back and grinned the whole time - though his grin disappeared pretty quick when he realized that Natasha had stolen his slice of pizza.

When the food was gone, Natasha drank the last of her beer, set the bottle down, and said, "The three of us have tomorrow and Saturday off. So can Tony come over tomorrow night to play?"

Tony blinked at her. It was Steve who responded. "Actually, Tony and I have both days off too. Bruce is already coming over to our house tomorrow to spend the night."

"Then he can come here, too," Natasha said. Well, demanded really. 

"I don't know if he would be comfortable with that," Steve said, and he wasn't wrong. Bruce was still new enough to the whole puppy play thing that he was pretty shy. The convention had been one thing, but there had been so many people there that Bruce was able to slip by unnoticed. A smaller, more intimate gathering was almost more nerve-wracking for him. It had taken a long time to get him to be okay with coming over to Steve and Tony's. Bruce might be willing to drop by for a visit at Natasha's, Bucky's and Clint's house, but puppy Bruce would not be making an appearance.

Natasha pouted, clearly displeased at getting her way. "Well then, we'll come to your house too."

"Natasha!" Bucky said, rolling his eyes. "You can't just invite yourself over to someone's house like that."

"Why not?" Natasha said. She wasn't in her little headspace right now, but Tony could definitely see a hint of that stubborn little girl right now.

"It was just supposed to be a quiet night," Steve hedged.

"But Tony doesn't mind. Do you?"

And just like that, Tony found himself the focus of four pairs of eyes. He squirmed.

"It will be more fun if there's more of us," Natasha pointed out. "And Bucky will be there to watch over me and Clint. We won't be a bother. Bruce knows us. He'll be okay if he's in a familiar space."

"Sure," Tony said before he could stop himself. 

"Really?" Clint said.

Tony looked at Steve, who seemed just as surprised as Clint was, and shrugged. "The more the merrier, as long as Steve doesn't mind."

Steve sighed. "No, of course I don't mind. We'll have to go shopping tomorrow, though," he said to Tony. "I don't think we've got enough food to feed everyone."

Tony shrugged. He didn't care. He had more than enough money to cover a couple of extra mouths, even if one of them was Bucky. "Can we have a movie marathon?"

"Of course," Steve said.

"Can we set up the pool?" Clint asked.

Steve nodded. "I'll dig it out when we get home," he promised.

"Yes!" Clint cheered, clapping his hands. Tony grinned too, feeling the first flush of excitement. They'd only had the chance to play in the little inflatable pool a couple of times this year because May had been colder than usual, but now it was definitely warm enough outside. 

"I guess we'll come over tomorrow afternoon," Bucky said, shaking his head. He drained the rest of his beer. "Anything we should bring?"

"Just your normal supplies," Steve said, leaning back and draping his arm across the back of Tony's chair. Tony leaned into him a little bit as Bucky got up to help Natasha serve the dessert. Clint started to clear the table.

As much fun as it would've been to just spend quality time with Bruce and Steve, Tony realized that he liked the idea of having everyone else around even more. It would be a lot easier to get in the right headspace and then stay there if there were plenty of distractions, and that was practically a guarantee with Clint and Natasha around. It was going to be an interesting night.


	2. Chapter 2

Winding down that night was hard. It was close to 4am before Tony finally fell into an uneasy sleep. He was awake again by the time that Steve slipped out of the bed at 7 - because that was Steve for you; it could be the dead of winter and Steve would still want to do his morning run - though he pretended that he wasn't, settling for a grumpy mumble when Steve bent down to kiss him goodbye. He drifted again while Steve was gone, but didn't really come awake again until the mattress shifted and sank beside him. When no arms pulled him into a hug, Tony cracked open an eye.

Except for the basket of laundry now sitting on the bed, there was no sign that Steve had even been in the room. Tony frowned at the half-open door, a little insulted that Steve hadn't at least tried to crawl back into bed with him. Sure, Tony would've just rolled on top of him and refused to let Steve leave, but that didn't mean Steve couldn't at least give him a hug! He shifted his gaze back to the laundry basket, still pouting. It was piled high with Steve's neatly folded work shirts and t-shirts. He could still smell the fabric softener that Steve favored: a light, citrus-y scent that wasn't overly cloying, but which lingered. It had fast become one of Tony's favorite smells.

Very slowly, Tony stretched out a leg and accidentally jiggled the basket. Several of the shirts toppled over, spilling across the bed. Since they were already wrinkled, Tony didn't see the harm in scooting down the bed until he could lay down on the shirts instead. They were still warm from the dryer and smelled a little like Steve; Tony preferred clothing that Steve had already worn, but this would do in a pinch. He brought his knees up against his chest and snuggled down, tucking his nose into one of the older t-shirts that was baby soft against his cheek. He closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh.

"Tony. Tony, sweetheart, wake up."

There was a hand on Tony's shoulder, shaking him gently. Tony batted at the hand, trying half-heartedly to push it away. Steve chuckled and sat down on the bed, hand moving from Tony's shoulder to his head. He stroked Tony's hair gently, and Tony nuzzled into the sensation. He'd always liked having his head scratched and petted, but no one did it quite like Steve; he had just the right understanding of how much pressure was needed to make it feel really good. Tony rolled over and stretched, but made sure to stay in contact with those fingers. 

"I just did that laundry, you know," Steve said, though he didn't sound very angry, and his petting never ceased.

"Then you shouldn't have left it on the bed," Tony replied. His voice sounded hoarse from disuse, and his eyes didn't want to cooperate when he tried to open them. He ended up peeking sleepily up at Steve, then yawning widely. 

"You love sleeping in fresh laundry. I can always wash them again. You needed the sleep."

"I hate it when you conspire against me," Tony said, unable to muster up any real anger. Truthfully, he felt a lot better for having gotten a couple hours of sleep. At least his head wasn't pounding anymore. He actually could've closed his eyes and gone back to sleep pretty easily, even though the laundry had long-since gone cold underneath him. He did, however, have something even better. He fumbled his way into Steve's lap, pushing his nose up against Steve's belly and inhaling deeply.

And yup, there it was: that hint of citrus, mixed with Steve's favorite cologne and a faint whiff of paint. He must've been up in his own workshop this morning while Tony was sleeping. Tony smiled to himself and yawned again, wondering what kind of masterpiece Steve had created this time. Something amazing, no doubt, even though Steve continued to insist that his work was subpar at best.

"No you don't," Steve said fondly, laying his hand on the back of Tony's neck. He left it there, hot and heavy, and added, "It's time for you to get up. It's almost two. Buck just called to say he and Natasha are on their way. Clint's getting off at 2:30, so he won't be far behind them. I thought you might wanna shower before they get here."

"Are you saying I stink?" Tony mumbled.

"Yes."

"Harsh, but fair." Tony sighed, not wanting to get up. "You said we had to go shopping?"

"Yep. But we can all go. I wanted to let you sleep."

"I'm not really feeling it yet," Tony had to admit. He wanted to be in his headspace. He couldn't think of anything better than just letting go for a while and sinking into a headspace where his biggest concern in the world was whether Steve thought he was a good boy or a bad boy. But even after the sleep, he felt too restless and jittery. 

"That's okay. Maybe when we get home." Steve's thumb rubbed idly at his hairline. "There's no rush, Tony. Bruce won't be coming over until around 5pm, so you've got lots of time. Just relax and let it come easily, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tony muttered. The annoying thing was that Steve was right. The harder he tried to force it, the worse he'd end up feeling. He could still remember the last time he'd tried too hard, when he'd ended up dropping as a result. Yeah, that was a super fun night. Sometimes he really envied Clint, who could slip into his puppy headspace in a matter of seconds. Then again, sometimes it seemed like Clint never really came out of being a puppy, so maybe that wasn't really the way to go after all.

He whined and clung to Steve's leg when Steve shifted and got up, but it didn't work. Steve just bent down, grabbed Tony around the waist and easily tossed him over a shoulder. Tony yelped as all of the air was driven from his lungs by the impact and went limp over Steve's shoulder with all the grace of a sack of potatoes. Tony scowled at the floor as he was carried into the bathroom and deposited none too gently in the bathtub. He stuck his tongue out at the door as it slammed shut behind Steve. He would've been tempted to slink out and make a run for it, but Steve had already proven once before that he wasn't above climbing into the shower with Tony and turning the water on, clothes or not.

Reluctantly, Tony stripped and switched the water on. He made it quick, mostly because he could hear the door opening and closing even over the sound of the water, and he was anxious to see Bucky and Natasha. He jumped out, dried quickly, and wrapped a towel around his waist for the run back to the bedroom. Steve had left a pair of jeans and one of Tony's favorite t-shirts out on the bed for him. But that wasn't the only thing waiting for Tony on the bed. He slowed to a stop at the sight of the gold chain.

Normally he wore his collar during their sessions - he liked the feel of it, as it was a constant reminder that a) he was a puppy with no cares in the world and b) his owner was always somewhere nearby. Unfortunately, Tony couldn't wear his collar outside of the house. There was too much of a chance that the media would get a shot of him, and something like that would definitely get blown out of proportion. Anything that would be a blow to Tony's reputation, and therefore his company, might just be the final nail in the coffin to sink them completely. And then he would die slowly and painfully by Pepper's hands.

So he and Steve had come up with a suitable compromise: a gold chain. It was very simple, made of interwoven links, and made of real gold, of course. It didn't have the same feel as Tony's collar, and he wasn't always in his puppy headspace when he wore it. Sometimes just having the chain around his neck, hidden beneath an expensive suit and tie, was exactly what he needed to get through a long night of schmoozing with potential investors, especially when Steve couldn't be there. It was a reminder that Steve loved him. It was exactly what Tony needed right now.

Somehow, Steve _always_ knew what he needed. 

He picked up the chain and slipped it over his head, letting it fall down against his chest. The gold was cool against his collarbone, but warmed quickly. He pulled on the t-shirt over it, taking a quick glance in the mirror. To anyone who didn't know the meaning behind the necklace, it just looked like plain jewelry. A little unusual, maybe, but certainly nothing for anyone to get up in arms about. 

"Tony?"

At the sound of Natasha's voice, Tony grabbed the jeans and quickly hauled them on. "Coming," he called, swiping his fingers through his hair. He met Natasha at the door. She raised an eyebrow at the state of his hair and shook her head, reaching up to fiddle with the strands herself. Tony stood there patiently and let her do it, knowing from experience that Natasha would only pin him down if he didn't.

"We're getting ready to go," she said when she was done, taking a step back. "Are you ready?"

"I am now," he said. "Cute top."

She smiled, preening a little. "Thanks. Daddy bought it for me," she said. "Clint says I can't wear pink because I have red hair. But I think Clint's dumb."

"I think a lot of people think that," Tony said seriously, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. They walked down the hallway side-by-side and found Bucky in the kitchen drinking a beer.

"You ready, sprout?" he asked, glancing at Natasha.

Natasha nodded. "Can I get a toy?" she asked.

"If you're good," Bucky said.

She pouted.

"I'll buy you as many toys as you want," Tony said, because he couldn't stand to see Natasha upset.

Her face lit up. "That's why you're my fav'rite," she said, very seriously, and hugged Tony once before dashing outside.

Tony smirked at Bucky, who rolled his eyes. "You spoil her way too much."

"Spoken like someone who's jealous," Tony replied, grabbing his sunglasses and slipping them on. It wasn't very often he got to be around Natasha in her little headspace and Clint in his puppy headspace when he wasn't in his own headspace. He had to admit he was kind of looking forward to this.

Steve and Clint were waiting outside for them. Clint was fully dressed in ripped jeans and a t-shirt instead of the fur-covered underwear he typically preferred when he was a puppy, but his collar was still visible around his neck. He barked excitedly when he saw Tony and raced over, clapping his hands onto Tony's shoulders and giving Tony an enthusiastic lick on the cheek. Tony squeaked in disgust and squirmed away, hearing the sound of laughter. He mock-glared at Steve, Bucky and Natasha, still pushing Clint away.

"Come on, Clint," Bucky finally called, punctuating the words with a high-pitched whistle. Clint's head perked up and he bounded over to Bucky.

Tony wiped at his face with the hem of his shirt. "You couldn't have helped?" he grumbled.

Steve just laughed at him. "You should be happy he's glad to see you," he teased. Then he held up a set of car keys. "Do you want me to drive?"

"Hell no," Tony said, making a grab for the keys. He got his revenge: Natasha had claimed the passenger front seat, which meant that Steve and Bucky were locked in the back with Clint. It was awkward enough having the three of them back there, since none of them were exactly small, but Clint was excited and that didn't help. Several times, Tony glanced in the mirror and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at the exasperated look on Steve's face. Tony as a puppy was usually quieter and clingy, for lack of a better term, so Steve wasn't used to dealing with so much energy.

They reached the supermarket in about ten minutes, a place that Tony had only recently been introduced to. He didn't really enjoy shopping, especially in a place like this, but he did like spending time with Steve. He leaned into the arm that Steve wrapped around his shoulders and pulled his phone out of his pocket, answering a handful of quick texts from Pepper. He glanced up when small hands curled into the crook of his elbow, meeting Natasha's eyes.

"Daddy went to walk Clint around the store," she said. "I said I wanted to stay with you. Is that okay?"

"Fine with me," Tony said, realizing that Steve had disappeared at some point while he was texting. He and Natasha were alone, surrounded by piles of meat. Tony looked at her. They were the same height now that Natasha wasn't wearing heels.

"Toys?" he offered, and her face split into a broad grin.

They wandered over to the small toy section. Natasha immediately became entranced by a doll with blue hair, holding it up in front of her face and staring into its eyes. It was a little creepy, not that Tony was brave enough to say so. He slid out his phone again while she was otherwise occupied and wasted a handful of minutes answering some emails that couldn't wait. He took great delight in writing a very politely worded "fuck off" letter to Justin Hammer, one that even Pepper would approve of in terms of diplomacy. Pressing send was like taking a huge weight off his shoulders.

"Hammer can suck it," he muttered under his breath, putting his phone back in his pocket and scanning the aisle. It wasn't hard to find Natasha; her pink shirt and red hair were like beacons. He walked over to her and looked at the display. It was some kind of board game that Tony wasn't familiar with, mostly because he found board games to be unbearably boring. But Natasha was looking at the game with open longing.

"How about this?" Tony suggested, taking the game and tucking it under his arm. "We'll set a price limit. Once you get to that limit, you won't be able to get anything else, okay?"

"Okay," Natasha said with a cute smile. "Doll, Uncle Tony?"

Tony's heart melted at hearing that. "Absolutely, pumpkin," he said. He hadn't specified what the price limit would be on purpose. Whatever Natasha wanted, she could have. That smile was worth it.

He turned to keep walking down the aisle and realized that they weren't alone. A very familiar face was peeking around the corner of the aisle. As soon as Clint realized that Tony had noticed him, he ducked out of sight. Tony closed his eyes briefly, holding in a sigh. Apparently Bucky hadn't been able to keep Clint under control after all. God only knew where Bucky was right now, but if Tony had to guess he'd say that Bucky was probably darting around the store looking for his wayward puppy. 

"Clint!" he called out, trying to keep his voice down. "C'mere, boy."

"Clint?" Natasha repeated, looking around. "Where Clint?"

"He's right there," Tony said, pointing, and whistled softly.

Clint popped out from behind the display when he heard the whistle, grinning. He bounded towards them. Tony braced himself instinctively, but Clint swooped past him and pounced on Natasha. She fell back, giggling, as Clint gave her an enthusiastic and sloppy kiss on the cheek. Natasha seemed to be enjoying it too much to push him away, and after a moment Tony reached out and gently pulled Clint back by the shoulders. There was a limit to how much they could away with while in public, and the last thing he wanted was someone paying too much attention to them.

"You run away from Bucky, pup?" he asked.

Clint woofed softly in reply, shaking his rump even though he didn't have a tail right now.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Tony said with a laugh, shaking his head. "You stay with me, okay? Heel, Clint." He gestured to his side, and Clint fell into step as easily as though he'd gone to obedience school and graduated top of the class. With his other hand, he reached out for Natasha.

She wasn't there.

Tony's heart skipped a beat. He spun around, already trying to imagine what he would tell Bucky and Steve, only to hear a very familiar giggle. He turned towards the sound just in time to see Natasha throwing herself into the arms of a surprised-looking Bruce. Tony inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart, and grabbed Clint's wrist. He led the pup over to Bruce and Natasha.

"Hey," Bruce said when he saw them, gingerly setting his hands on Natasha's back. For whatever reason, Natasha _adored_ Bruce when she was in her little headspace. It didn't matter whether Bruce was a puppy or a human, she just wanted to be around him all the time. Bruce as a puppy was shy but reveled in the attention. Bruce the adult was much more uncertain, but he didn't push Natasha away either. 

"Natasha, you know better than to run away like that," Tony scolded. It stung when her face crumbled, the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes, but he steeled himself against the pitiful expression. "You scared me. I thought that maybe something had happened."

"Sorry," Bruce said, sounding sheepish. "I waved at her and she started running towards me."

"It's not your fault," Tony said, still frowning at Natasha.

"Sorry, Uncle Tony," Natasha said. Her eyes were big and sad, and Tony could practically feel himself breaking.

"It's fine," he sighed, knowing he'd been played when she immediately smiled. Bruce smirked at him and Tony scowled back.

"What are you guys up to?" Bruce asked. "I didn't even know you knew what a supermarket was."

"Steve said we needed groceries for tonight. Somehow we ended up with more guests than intended," Tony answered, nodding at Natasha. "Are you okay with that?"

Bruce was quiet for a few seconds before he nodded. "Yeah, I guess it's okay. I've been in my headspace around Bucky, Natasha and Clint before. We're still doing it at your house though, right?"

"Yeah. Is Betty gone already?"

"Unfortunately. She got a call at like 7am that one of the presenters had called in sick. They wanted to know if she'd cover for them. She was over the moon with excitement and out the door by 7:30." Bruce shrugged, one corner of his mouth quirking up into a half-hearted smile. "I couldn't fall back asleep without her, so I thought I might as well get out of the house for a while."

"You should've come over to our place right then!" Tony said.

"It was 7:30am. I know for a fact you weren't awake yet."

"No, but Steve was. And to be honest, I would've appreciated the company after Steve abandoned me."

Bruce smiled for real then. "He goes for a run in the morning. I hardly consider that abandonment."

"Call it what you will. It still leaves me alone in an empty bed," Tony replied. Something jerked at his arm, and he glanced at Clint. The pup was staring at him with a pout. Realizing that he had Tony's attention, Clint whined.

"I think someone is bored," Bruce said.

"Want to walk around with us? We're just waiting for Steve to be done."

Bruce shrugged. "Sure. I don't have anything else to do."

Natasha led them back to the toys, looking all pleased with herself, and they spent a pleasant half hour watching her browse through the toys. Or at least, Bruce watched. Tony was busy trying to think of ways to distract Clint, as a supermarket wasn't really the best place for a puppy. He spent several minutes rolling a big red ball down aisles and watching Clint chase after it, but that game got spoiled after an employee caught them. So then they devised a little game of hide and seek, where Tony would hide Natasha's new doll amongst the other toys and give Clint the chance to find it.

Not too long after that, Tony's phone beeped. He checked the message and announced, "Steve's done. He and Bucky are waiting up front. Oh, and Bucky says that I better have Clint or it's going to be a long walk home. Huh. We drove _my_ car here. If anything, Bucky should walk home."

"I don't think Steve will let anyone walk home," Bruce said. He was holding Natasha's hand. She walked beside him easy as you please, while Tony practically had to drag Clint along. At least, until they got up front by the cash registers. The second Clint saw Bucky, he took off running and crashed headlong into him. Bucky stumbled backwards but regained his balance and instantly began scolding Clint for running off. Judging by the grin on Clint's face, though, the scolding was falling on deaf ears.

"Hey Bruce," Steve said with a smile, reaching out to Tony, setting his palm against Tony's lower back in welcome. it made Tony feel warm from head to toe.

"Hi Steve. I heard we're having extra company tonight."

"Even more so than we thought," Steve said guiltily. "We ran into Thor."

"Oh no," Tony whined. "Don't tell me he wants to come."

"'Fraid so," Steve said. "You guys are going to have some kitties around tonight."

"Ugh," Tony muttered, making a face. He liked Thor and adored Jane, but Loki was another story entirely. He'd never met anyone who could blow so hot and cold. One minute Loki was fine and could even be fun to be around, the next he could turn into a total asshole.

"You can blame Bucky," Steve went on. "He's the one who brought it up."

"And you wanted _me_ to walk home?" Tony hissed.

Bucky rolled his eyes. "It won't be that bad."

"You're not the one who has to play with Loki," Tony said.

Steve ignored them, turning to Bruce. "Can we offer you a ride home, Bruce? We can make room."

"Oh no, that's okay. I took the bus here and I can -"

"The bus?" Tony broke in, horrified. "I refuse to let any friend of mine get around on the _bus_. No way. You're coming with us and we're going to stop by your house so you can get your bag, and then you're coming over right now"

Bruce sighed, but there was a tiny smile on his face. He shrugged at Steve. "How can I argue with that?"


	3. Chapter 3

After paying for Natasha's toys and games (Bruce, amazing friend that he was, distracted Bucky while Tony paid, and then Steve and Tony carried everything out to the car and filled the trunk up), they piled in. It was an even tighter squeeze now; Bruce had to sit in the front seat with Natasha curled up in his lap. Tony drove as carefully as he could, mindful of the fact that Steve didn't really like it when Tony used his name and money to get out of trouble. Not that it would stop him from paying off an officer if they happened to get pulled over with an overloaded car, but Tony had a vested interest in making sure that tonight went well. And starting things off by having Steve annoyed at him was not the way to do that.

True to his word, Bruce had everything he needed already packed. There was no more room left in the trunk, so Steve and Bucky each ended up with a bag on their laps. Bruce apologized numerous times even though both of them said it was fine, but Tony could tell that Steve was starting to feel a little cramped - the backseat of his car was really not meant to fit three adult men, particularly when one of them was in a puppy headspace, and two full duffle bags. He was pretty sure they were all relieved when they got back to the house and the drive was officially over.

Clint and Natasha spilled out of the car and went flying towards the backyard; Bucky stumbled out much less gracefully and took off after them, no doubt trying to make sure that someone didn't end up in tears or worse. That left Tony helping Steve and Bruce carry everything inside, and he couldn't help glancing jealously out the kitchen window at the sight of Natasha trying to turn cartwheels in the grass while Clint raced around her and barked excitedly. Both of them were leaving a trail of clothing behind them and Tony chuckled to himself.

"What's so funny?" Steve asked, setting the last of the groceries on the table.

"I think Natasha just got in touch with her inner nudist," Tony said, amused as Natasha yanked her shirt off and threw her hands up. Steve flushed a little at the sight of her, standing half-naked in the late afternoon sunlight, but had to smile as Bucky leaned down and grabbed the shirt off the ground.

"Natasha, put your shirt on!" he yelled.

"No!" Natasha shouted.

"Natasha!"

"No shirt, no shirt, no shirt!" Natasha chanted, dancing around in a circle. Clint shucked his jeans and underwear and started bouncing around her feet, stark naked and howling. 

Tony lost it. He cracked up. Even Steve was laughing. Bruce walked over to see what they were laughing at and covered his mouth in a vain attempt to hide his smile. It was even more hilarious when Bucky started trying to physically force Natasha back into her shirt: she screamed as though he was killing her and Clint bowled straight into Bucky; Bucky hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, Natasha stripped off her jeans and started running around the yard in just her panties, and Clint flopped over Bucky's belly and howled his triumph.

"Oh my god," Tony gasped to himself, wiping away the tears of laughter. "I should have got that on video."

"Bucky would've killed you," Bruce said, grinning. "Whoops. There goes Natasha's panties."

"Thank god we had that twelve-foot tall privacy fence installed," Steve muttered, slowly shaking his head. He seemed ready to take pity on Bucky and left the room just long enough to grab a pair of the fur-covered briefs that Clint typically wore as a puppy. He headed outside then, threw the briefs at Bucky's face and easily caught up to Natasha. She shrieked with joy as Steve scooped her up by the waist.

Watching Steve attempt to manhandle, then coax and finally bribe Natasha back into her clothing was definitely worthwhile. Bucky, meanwhile, had a much easier time with Clint. He pinned the pup down, wrestled Clint into the briefs, and then finally let him go. Clint, acting none-the-wiser as to what had changed, bounded over to see what Steve and Natasha were up to. Bucky threw his hands up and marched into the kitchen, glowering at Tony and Bruce when they tried to pretend that they hadn't been watching at all.

"I'd like to see you do any better," he announced. 

"Not if you paid me. There's a reason I'm the puppy," Tony said. He knew better than to fall into _that_ trap. Natasha could be adorable and Clint was cute sometimes too, but Tony had no interest in being the caregiver. Not even to a younger puppy like Bruce. He was more than happy soaking up all of Steve's attention when he was the puppy.

"Me either. I don't think I'm suited to taking care of someone," said Bruce.

Bucky just muttered something under his breath and walked out of the room. Tony figured it was probably best to give him a little time to himself. He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out one bottle of beer and one bottle of iced tea. He tossed the iced tea at Bruce and cracked open the beer for himself, sighing at the cool, sharp taste. Unless everyone settled down a little bit, this was going to be one long night.

Fortunately, though it took a little while, both Natasha and Clint calmed down. Natasha came in and sat down on the couch beside Bruce. After a while, Bruce sort of slumped down sideways and put his head on her shoulder. Tony figured that was probably a sign that Bruce was slipping pretty quick. He squashed another flash of jealousy and kept nursing his second beer, staring blankly at the cartoons that Natasha had wanted to watch. Clint was curled up at his feet, sound asleep; he had to get up early for his construction job, and that meant he frequently napped before dinner.

At some point, Bucky wandered in and took a seat beside Tony. Steve coaxed Bruce up off the couch and took the blushing man away to get changed - it might have been a necessity for Bruce to wear diapers as a puppy right now, but that didn't mean he liked it. Tony curled in on himself and tried to ignore the way that Bucky was looking at him. The obvious question lingered between them, but Tony was starting to feel cranky himself and it probably showed. Bucky might have asked anyway, but at that moment there was a knock at the door.

"I got it," Tony muttered, rolling off the couch and to his feet. He sauntered over to the door and opened it.

"Greetings!" Thor boomed.

"Hey Thor," Tony said with a smile, because somehow it was impossible not to smile around Thor. He stepped back to let them in, not surprised when Loki and Jane passed by him too, but very surprised when Phil and Skye followed. He raised an eyebrow at Phil.

"Sorry," Phil said. "Thor told Skye about your sleepover, and then told her she could come. We didn't mean to crash, but - " He gestured a little helplessly at where a squealing Skye had shot over to Natasha and was currently hugging Natasha for all she was worth. Natasha, for her part, looked a little bit like a regal queen welcoming her subject as she patted Skye on the head tolerantly.

"You're so whipped," Tony said.

Phil shrugged. "I know," he said, not sounding the least bit perturbed by that, and Tony sighed and stepped aside to let him in as well. He was turning away to shut the door when someone poked him hard in the shoulder.

"What, you not gonna let me in?"

"Rhodey?" Tony's squeak of surprise was overridden by the hug that Rhodey literally scooped him up into. That was a switch - usually it was the other way around, and Tony was the one who grabbed onto Rhodey like an octopus. In fact, Rhodey had accused him of being an octopus several times when they shared a dorm at MIT (unofficially, Tony's roommate had gotten fed up with the explosions by the third week, and when Rhodey started having issues with his racist asshole of a roommate, the obvious explanation was for them to move in together, much to the collective horror of the entire floor. Because the only thing worse than drunk, teenaged Tony Stark was when a drunk, teenaged James Rhodes was around to encourage him. There was still a sign in the entryway banning the two of them from that dormitory building to this day).

"Hey idiot," Rhodey said, hugging him so tightly that Tony squeaked again. He did manage to flail around until he got his arms around Rhodey's neck and could hug him back, and by that time his feet met the floor again and he could take an actual step back and look into the eyes of his best friend. Rhodey was grinning, his dark eyes bright with amusement, because he knew exactly how shocked Tony was right now.

"What are you doing here?" Tony demanded, patting at his chest to make sure that he was real and not a figment of Tony's imagination. Last he'd heard, Rhodey was somewhere in Afghanistan and wasn't scheduled to return home for another six months.

"I got a two week leave. I'm heading home for at least a week, but Pepper suggested I stop by and see you first."

"You had leave and you didn't tell me? And Pepper knew? Wait until I get my hands on her."

Rhodey laughed at him. "Steve knew too."

"What?" Tony's head whipped around. Steve had just walked back into the room, leading a very shy Bruce. He helped the pup up onto the couch beside Natasha and grinned at Tony.

"Pepper wanted to make sure that you would be up for a visit," he said innocently. "She let me know last night when I talked to her that things were set to go, but you were so tired that I didn't want to say anything and make you even less able to sleep. And besides, I've been wanting to meet your best friend for a long time."

"Just like I've been wanting to meet Tony's new boyfriend," Rhodey said. His eyes swept across the room, taking everything in rapidly. Clint, awakened by the noise of the new arrivals, was sprawled across Jane's lap. She was rubbing his head and giggling to herself. Loki was crouched next to her, half looking like he wanted to pet Clint and half looking like he'd hiss if anyone touched him. Bruce, Skye and Natasha were curled up together on the couch; Bruce had his face buried in Natasha's side, while Phil stood protectively over them. Bucky was still sitting in the chair. Thor had wandered into the kitchen. Steve planted his feet in a way that Tony recognized and loosely crossed his arms.

It was completely unnecessary, of course, though Tony understood why Steve was feeling protective right now. All of them were more vulnerable in their headspaces, and Steve was just that kind of person towards people he cared about. But this was Rhodey, who was the first person to ever find out about Tony's enjoyment of puppy play. The first person to ever encourage Tony by helping him buy a set of ears and a tail. The first person to ever look at Tony and call him a 'good boy' and mean it. It wasn't Rhodey's thing at all, but he'd never been even a little bit scornful of it.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Tony said, pretending to pout in the hopes of dispelling a little bit of the tension that was building in the room. It had never really occurred to him to wonder whether Steve and Rhodey would get along. He'd just assumed that they would. And he had no idea what he was going to do if they decided that they didn't like each other.

Rhodey looked back at him and frowned, clearly see straight through the pout. "It was supposed to be a surprise, so I didn't want them to tell you. Besides, if you had known that would've given you time to hide the evidence." He crossed his arms. "From what I hear you've been way overworking yourself lately and Pepper has been just as bad. So consider this one of the visits where I make sure you're not going to give yourself a heart attack before you turn forty. And you better believe that we're going to be having a serious chat before I leave here tonight."

Damn. Tony tried to think fast, but he didn't have a good answer ready. Fortunately, Bucky chose that moment to take pity on him, saying, "It's getting crowded in here. I think we should move outside and get the barbecue going. Do you need some help, Steve?"

"Sure, thanks," Steve said, and shortly the room was turned into a flurry of activity: Tony and Jane were sent outside with the purposes of supervising the puppies and littles, while everyone else helped to prepare food. Steve started up the barbeque. Within a couple of minutes, Rhodey had strolled over to join him. Tony watched their conversation with mounting unease and wished that he'd paid more attention to the idea of learning how to read lips in university. He was pretty sure that Clint could, but right now Clint was way more interested in following Skye around.

"Your paranoia makes you look foolish," Loki said. He was standing right behind Tony, looking over his shoulder. Tony briefly thought about asking whether Loki could read lips and quickly decided he wasn't that desperate. He settled for a glare instead.

"Don't you ever get tired of skulking in the shadows?"

Loki smirked at him. "I wasn't skulking. You just weren't paying attention."

"Liar," Tony muttered, but the insult was half-hearted at best. He scowled as Steve and Rhodey turned their backs to him so he couldn't even see their faces. They'd shook hands, though, so that was a positive sign, right? Oh god. Maybe they were talking about how he'd been spending so many hours at the office, and how Steve thought he wasn't eating right. Tony stared at them, seized with sudden new horror. Steve was the worst mother hen Tony had ever met, with Rhodey a close second contender. If the two of them banded forces, Tony would never get a moment's peace until the day he died.

"I wasn't lying. I was telling the truth. Both about the skulking and about the paranoia." Loki sat down on the step beside him, plucking at his green shirt until it hung just so against his jeans. He looked a little offended by Tony's comment, even though Tony knew for a fact that Loki made it a practice to lie on a regular basis. Regardless, it wasn't worth it. He flapped a hand in apology and sighed.

"Whatever. At this point, I just want to go upstairs and sleep."

"Sleep here," Loki suggested. "The shade of the tree looks appealing."

Tony followed his gaze. That, at least, was the truth, and Bruce was already sitting beneath the branches of the tree. So he stood up and went to join Bruce, with Loki on his heels. Bruce woofed softly in welcome, gently stretching out a paw and tapping Tony's arms when Tony sat down on the grass. Tony obligingly stroked his hair, not surprised when Loki quickly scaled the tree and settled down in the branches above them. He was such a _cat_ , Tony thought with a faint smile, more amused than he wanted to admit.

It wasn't long before their peaceful spot beneath the tree was noticed. Jane had stripped off her clothes and was now wearing the sleek, dark brown bodysuit she wore when she was in her kitten headspace, complete with her dark purple collar around her throat. Tony lifted an arm and let her tuck herself into his other side; she purred softly and tipped her head against his, rubbing her furry ears against his chin. The sensation of fur against his stubble was weird and Tony tipped his chin up, making a face; both she and Bruce giggled.

Thor started playing fetch with Clint, throwing a frisbee for Clint run and catch. Bucky took Natasha and Skye by the hands and led them over to Steve's flower garden. Skye in particular adored flowers, and her fascination was more than enough to get Natasha interested too. That left Phil free to double back into the house, where he was hopefully spending time preparing his amazing potato salad. 

Tony didn't really sleep, but he might have dozed a little bit. The feeling of something cold being pressed to his cheek made him open his eyes, and he grinned up at Rhodey. "Thought you were conspiring with Steve."

"Sure sounds like you could use some of that. God knows you suck at taking care of yourself," Rhodey said, sitting down. Tony sat up a little, realizing that Bruce had been coaxed away by the (admittedly awesome) smell of cooking meat. He and Clint were perched at Steve's feet, begging for scraps with big, pleading eyes. Jane was still curled against him, though. He took the bottle of beer from Rhodey and cracked it open, careful to avoid getting any condensation on her.

"I'm just busy. There's always something more interesting to do." 

"That's not an excuse, Tones." Rhodey was quiet for a few seconds, tapping his beer against his lower lip. "I like him. Steve, I mean."

"You do?" Tony said, relieved.

"He seems to love you and not want your money, which is basically my main criteria. And I'm sure he's been thoroughly vetted by Pepper -"

"Rhodey, for god's sake -"

"- so I'm giving my temporary seal of approval. I'll let you know for sure when I swing back around next week and can spend more time with you guys," Rhodey finished, smirking at him. "I would stay longer tonight, but my mom told me that if I wasn't home by midnight I'd regret it."

Tony winced at the idea of upsetting Mrs. Rhodes. That wouldn't bode well for anyone. "Maybe when you come back, you can stick around for a couple nights," he suggested. "Dummy would love to see you again."

"Sure. I haven't played a good game of fetch for a long time."

"You and I played fetch last time you were here!"

"Like I said," Rhodey said, smirk deepening, "it's been years,"

"Oh fuck you," Tony grumbled with no real heat, and Rhodey laughed. Steve glanced up at them at the sound, his eyes finding Tony's easily even across the yard. He smiled, and Tony flushed a little but smiled back. 

"Food's ready," Steve called out. "Come and get it, guys!"

It was chaos for the next few minutes while everyone swarmed the picnic tables that Bucky and Thor had set up. Phil was busy getting Skye a veggie burger and cutting it into small pieces; Bucky was doing the same for Natasha and Clint, and Steve was cutting up a couple of sausage for Bruce. Loki, not in his kitten headspace yet, Tony and Rhodey got food for themselves. Thor just sat down and Jane came over and perched in his lap, seemingly content to let Thor feed her from his meal with his fingers.

When everyone was seated and eating, Tony glanced around. He'd been waiting for this moment. "So," he said, "did I ever tell you guys about the time that Steve got stuck in my collar?"

Steve choked on his burger. "God, Tony, must you?" he asked with a groan.

"Yes, he must," Bucky said, setting down Clint's food bowl. Clint pounced, but was obviously still listening. 

Tony grinned, glancing at Steve, and proceeded to tell the story: "He wanted to make sure that my collar wasn't too uncomfortable, but what he didn't realize was that JARVIS and I had recently changed the clasp. Instead of the traditional clasp, it could only be opened by my fingerprint or his in a very specific place. Needless to say, when I got home from work that day I was wondering why Steve was acting so strangely. Then I realized my collar was missing." He grinned wider. "I let Steve keep pretending for a little while before I finally asked what was up, and he admitted it."

Amidst their friend's laughter, Steve shook his head. "That's what I get for wanting to make sure you're okay," he said.

"It was very sweet, just misguided," Tony said, blowing him a kiss.

"Story of my life," Steve said, but he was smiling.

"That's nothing," Bucky said, drawing himself up. "Let me tell you about the time that Steve found out about Clint being a puppy."

"How did this turn into you guys telling embarrassing stories about me?" Steve asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, don't worry. I could tell plenty of embarrassing stories about Tony too," Rhodey said.

"Traitor!" Tony hissed.

Rhodey just laughed. "Steve first," he said to Bucky. "And then I'll share."

"Deal," Bucky said. 

Steve and Tony exchanged looks of resigned horror. It was going to be a long meal.


	4. Chapter 4

The supper was just as embarrassing as Steve had guessed it would be - Bucky, once he got a couple of beers in him, could remember things that Steve wasn't even sure had actually happened, but which Bucky swore up and down were fact - but it was worth it to see the way that Tony smiled and laughed the whole time. He was finally starting to relax, and Steve was hopeful that he might even be able to get Tony into his puppy headspace by bedtime.

It was just past seven when James sighed and set down his bottle of iced tea. "I hate to say it, but I need to get on the road," he announced. "My mom wanted me there by midnight, and I still have a good five hour drive ahead of me."

"Staaay," Tony said, pawing at him. "You can use my private plane, leave here at eleven and get there in plenty of time."

"You have a private plane?" Steve said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do. Who doesn't?"

"Everyone else sitting at this table?" Bucky said. "I suddenly like you a lot more, though."

Tony rolled his eyes. "So? Will you stay?"

"Sorry, Tones. Last time I tried to take your private plane somewhere, it was a disaster," James said, and it sounded like there was a story there, but he didn't share it. "I told you I'd come back next week and I meant it, okay?"

"Fine," Tony muttered, pouting. "I'll walk you to the door."

Steve watched them get up and go into the house, frowning to himself. He'd heard a lot about James "Rhodey" Rhodes from Tony, and it seemed that James more than lived up to all of the stories. He could see why Tony liked the guy as much as he did. He had to wonder if maybe Tony would be happier going with James for the week. Surely he'd be able to get the time off work to do so?

He helped Phil carry some of the leftover food into the house and then went in search of James and Tony. They were both out on the front porch, but Tony was on his phone facing away from James. He was talking in a low voice, but not in a way that meant he was angry. Steve glanced at him curiously, then cocked his head at James.

"Pepper," James said by way of answer. "Tony insisted on calling her before I left to demand to know why and how she'd hid my visit from him. I don't think he's getting the answer he wanted." He grinned, holding his hand out to Steve. "Good to meet you, Steve."

"You too," Steve said, clasping the strong hand in his own and giving it a good shake. "You're more than welcome to stay with us next week if you can spare the time."

"I'll take you up on that. It's been a while since I was home on leave and Tony actually had the time to hang out."

"He told me he always takes time off when you're around," Steve said, confused.

James nodded. "Yeah, he does, and then he ends up paying for it after I leave because he's crazy busy with all the shit he put off while I was here. I'm hoping that you might be able to help him with the whole stability thing. God knows Tony could use that."

"I make no promises. I'm not magic."

"I don't think you need to be," James replied. "Listen, Steve -"

"Is this the part where you say you're going to kill me if I hurt him?" Steve asked. He'd been waiting for that moment all night, knowing how protective James was over Tony. Even Pepper had warned him that he might be in for a little bit of a rough time if James decided that he didn't approve of Steve.

"No," James said. "I don't need to tell you that. I think that if you fuck up and lose Tony, that would be punishment enough." His smile faded. "Tony is an amazing person. You're really lucky to have him in your life. Don't screw it up. You'll spend the rest of your life regretting it if you do."

"I know," Steve said, because he knew that James was right. "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that never happens."

"Good. Because Tony's already had way too many people fuck up, and sometimes I'm not sure how much more of that he can take. He needs good people in his life. People who don't care about his money or his fame or his brain. I'm counting on you to be one of those people. Don't let Tony down." He smiled slowly. "I would hate to have to come back and kick your ass."

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill me?"

"I said I'd kick your ass. The military frowns on murder," James said, and laughed.

Steve couldn't help laughing either, even though it was a morbid topic. "That won't happen," he said seriously, in spite of his smile. "I really love Tony. Everything about him. My life has been so much better since we met. And we're working on the whole workaholic thing, stupid as that sounds."

"Not stupid at all. I'm frankly glad to hear it."

"Hear what?" Tony asked.

Steve startled; he hadn't even realized that Tony was off the phone and paying attention to them again. But James just smiled at him and said, "Nothing. What did Pepper say?"

"Well, after she yelled at me for interrupting her spa weekend, she said that she didn't tell me because it meant I'd have more time to make excuses about all the work I had to do," Tony said, looking all sulky. "It's a conspiracy, I swear."

"That's right. A conspiracy of people who love you and want to see you do well," James said, grabbing him a headlock. He ruffled Tony's hair, which earned a dismayed sqawk of protest as Tony flailed.

"People who love me don't do this," Tony shouted. He squirmed free and patted his hair back down, giving James a mock-glare.

"I do it to keep you humble," James said, smirking. "I'd hate for that big head to get any bigger."

"My head is not big," Tony said, sticking his tongue out. 

"It must just your height that makes it look that way."

"And now the short jokes. I hate you."

James laughed again. "No you don't. You love me," he said, holding his arms out for a hug. Tony threw his arms around James's shoulders, hugging him tightly. Steve looked away, willing to give them their privacy.

All too soon James was getting into his car and waving at them out the window as he pulled out and drove down the street. Tony waved back, looking a little lonely. Steve stepped closer to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, glad that he was there. Glad that he was allowed to offer Tony comfort in the moment, that Tony didn't have to watch his best friend leave by himself - because he was sure that had happened before, probably more often than Steve wanted to think about.

"If you want to go, I don't mind," he said after a moment.

"What?"

"You have your plane, right? If you want to fly down and meet James there, it's fine. I have plenty of company tonight."

Tony looked at him in surprise, then smiled and shook his head. "Thanks, but no. Rhodey already offered to let me come, but honestly he needs some time alone with his family. They love me, and they always make me feel like I'm welcome, but this time is important for them. Pepper mentioned that his little sister is missing a week of classes to be there with him, even. That's huge. That's not something I can crash, no matter how much Rhodey would tell me it's fine."

"Was Pepper really mad at you?" Steve asked, giving him a little squeeze. He knew exactly how Tony felt. It was identical to how Steve had felt when he was growing up and Bucky used to invite him over at the holidays. No matter how welcoming Bucky's family was, there was always that little bit of discomfort that he couldn't get past. 

"She'll get over it. I should have guessed that she'd gone to the spa. She favors this place in the Alps. Really high end, very expensive, all on my dime of course." Tony sighed dramatically. "It's not my fault she told the staff to put through any calls that I made."

"I'm sure she won't make that problem again in the future," Steve said, amused. 

"Probably not, considering that she said New York better be on fire before I called there again."

"Let's hope that doesn't happen." Steve set his hand on Tony's head, smoothing back a few stray wisps of hair.

Tony tipped his head back, eyes narrowing. "This better not be the start of another short joke."

Steve chuckled. "No. I was just thinking to myself - are you ready? I can help you down into your headspace, if you want. I saw the way you were watching Clint and Skye play earlier."

His heart had ached a little bit for Tony, seeing the expression of envy on Tony's face. It was hard for him sometimes to get into his puppy headspace, and the harder he tried the worse it could get and the more stressed out Tony got. Considering that this sleepover was supposed to be both relaxing and fun, Steve didn't want that happening this time. He was hoping his presence might help make the transition a little smoother.

Tony was quiet for a few seconds before he nodded. "Sure, I think I'm ready now. Unless you think there's too many puppies, kittens and littles in the house already, in which case I can -"

"Hey, no," Steve murmured, pressing a finger over Tony's lips. "I always have room for you. You're my number one concern, honey. Every other puppy, kitten and little in that house has a caregiver to take care of them, except for Bruce, and you know I have no problem caring for the both of you at the same time. I know you're something of a package deal."

"Pepper used to say that too," Tony muttered, seeming to relax. He turned his whole body into Steve, nuzzling in for a hug that Steve gladly granted.

"Well, Pepper is a wise woman," Steve said after a moment, pressing a kiss to the side of Tony's head. "Now, come on. Phil brought an ice cream cake for dessert, and I'm not sure how long I trust him and Thor to be able to keep everyone else out of it."

Tony had to smile at that, nodding. They went into the house together, where Steve discovered that his worry over the ice cream cake was unfounded: Thor had decided that it was time for everyone to catch fireflies, and he was currently helping Natasha and Skye run around with jars. Clint and Bruce galloped after them, generally making pests of themselves, while Bucky, Phil, Jane and Loki watched from the safety of the porch.

While Tony would've gotten caught up in watching too, Steve ushered him back upstairs to the privacy of their room. He directed Tony to take off his clothes and then sit down on the bed, and then he went to the closet, bringing out the little case that held all of Tony's puppy play items: the soft, fuzzy dark brown ears, knee pads, brown front paws, and a long brown tail.

"Just lay back and let me get you ready," Steve said softly, pleased when Tony obeyed. He slid the knee pads up Tony's legs first; Tony didn't like that he had to wear them, but it was hard for him to spend that much time on his hands and knees without them. He'd done it once and complained for weeks after about how much his knees ached, so Steve had made it a firm rule for their sessions.

Next was the tail. Tony rolled over, presenting his bottom. Steve ran his hand down Tony's flank, feeling how the warm skin quivered a little under his touch. Anticipation, maybe. There was nothing sexual about their play, but Tony enjoyed this part anyway. He took the lubrication from the case and made sure the plug was well greased, then gently pushed it into Tony's asshole. Tony sighed a little, rolling his shoulders, as the plug slid home.

Then he wiggled his hips, making the tail wag, and looked over his shoulder with that crooked grin that Steve loved so much.

"Silly pup," Steve said, patting him again. "Roll over."

Tony obeyed, rolling onto his back and presenting his hands to Steve. The mitts were relatively simple, but once strapped on Tony couldn't take them off without help. Steve slid them on and strapped them into place. He let Tony have a moment, paws waving in the air as Tony readjusted to the restriction, before he slid the headband onto Tony's head to put the puppy ears in place.

The very last step was their collective favorite: the collar. Steve took it from its place of honor on the dresser and, very carefully, clasped it around Tony's throat. All of the tension seemed to drain out of Tony all at once as he felt the weight of the collar around his neck. The supple red leather looked good on him, and the gold tag declaring that Tony was Steve's property was impossible to miss.

Steve breathed out slowly, feeling a little more relaxed himself. He'd missed this more than he realized. "C'mere, baby," he said, clearing his throat and patting his lap.

Very slowly, as though too exhausted to move, Tony inched across the bed until he could collapse in Steve's lap with his face smushed against Steve's belly. Steve swallowed a laugh and put a hand on Tony's head, rubbing at the crown of Tony's scalp with his thumb. It was something he'd discovered that Tony enjoyed a long time ago.

"There's my good boy. You've always been such a good boy for me, right from the first day we met," Steve said softly. "We're going to have a good night ahead of us. When you're ready, we'll get downstairs and have some cake. Then I've got some movies ready for us to watch. We can all sleep in the living room; I took out the air mattresses earlier.

"Then tomorrow morning, we'll have breakfast and we'll set the pool up for you guys to play in. We'll play some games. It will be lots of fun." He closed his eyes, smiling to himself. He was looking forward to it. "I'll have to take some pictures on my phone to send to Pepper, hmm? And maybe you can show them to James when he comes back."

Tony squirmed a little against him. Steve shifted into a more comfortable spot and then went still, pleased when Tony followed suit. He kept talking in that same, quiet voice, the one that Tony always paid more attention to than when Steve was yelling. He could feel Tony breathing against his midsection, so he was aware of the exact moment when Tony started to chew on his shirt, mouthing at the fabric and getting it wet from his saliva.

"Are you chewing on my shirt?" Steve said, cutting off his rambling in favor of the question, sliding his hand down Tony's head and lightly cupping the back of his neck. 

Tony peeked up at him. Those brown eyes were a little glazed, but mostly from sleepiness. He could tell by the way that Tony licked lazily at his fingers that Steve had his puppy now, not his boyfriend. He leaned down and nuzzled their noses together, letting Tony give him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Come on, sweet boy," he whispered. "Let's go have some cake, huh?"

That question earned him an eager bark of agreement. Tony scrambled to his hands and knees and darted to the edge of the bed. He was clumsy at best when it came to getting down off of things by himself, and so Steve intervened to save them both the time and effort of an injury: he clasped Tony around the waist and gently lifted him off the bed and to the ground. As soon as he let go, Tony shot out the door.

Steve chuckled to himself and followed. By the time he got to the kitchen, Tony was scratching plaintively at the door. Phil was standing on the other side, just about ready to open it. Their eyes met and they shared a grin as Phil opened the door. Tony leapt past him, letting out a happy bark, like he'd been chained up in a prison cell for months and was only just getting free.

Sometime while they'd been upstairs, Loki had also made the change into his kitten headspace. He reared back and hissed when Tony raced by him, but Tony paid him no mind. He was set on getting to Clint and Bruce, who both let out happy and welcoming barks and ran over to Tony as soon as they saw him. Clint barreled into him at full speed and the two of them went tumbling across the grass.

"Tony!" Skye shouted, clapping her hands. She adored Tony. She toddled over to them and Tony's head popped out from under Clint's left leg. He whoofed in greeting.

Skye grinned and stumbled, like that one act had taken too much of her concentration, and ended up sitting down hard on her bottom. Her face crumbled and Steve honestly thought that they were going to have a meltdown on their hands. Phil started to hurry down the steps. 

But then Tony wiggled free from under Clint and padded over to her, nuzzling her cheek. All too quickly, the threat of tears disappeared and Skye was left giggling instead as Tony leaned against her so hard that she toppled backwards. As soon as she was laying down Tony was all over her, sniffing at her face and nibbling at her hair. Skye shrieked with laughter.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Natasha said, wandering closer to the porch. She stuck out a hand and petted Jane on the shoulder. Jane mewed very softly, butting her head against Natasha's hand for more attention.

"I've got cake, if anyone is interested," Steve said, loud enough for the whole yard to hear. That definitely got everyone's attention. Within less than a minute, he had a row of bright faces staring up at him.

"How about you get the cake and I'll get the plates?" Thor suggested, plucking Loki off the ground as easily as though he weighed no more than ten pounds. Loki hissed in displeasure, but then squirmed around until he could cuddle into Thor's neck - though he maintained a sulky expression the entire time. The brothers shared a very weird dynamic, one that Steve could never even hope to understand.

"Sure, thanks. I'm pretty sure I don't have to ask whether everyone wants a piece," Steve said, fetching the cake from the freezer. It turned out that he was right, and that he couldn't cut the cake quickly enough. 

He set plates of the cake on the floor for the puppies and kittens, and then - while Phil fed Skye and Bucky helped Natasha - ate his own piece while filling up a bottle of water for Bruce. Because he was so much younger, there were still plenty of times when Bruce didn't drink as much water as he was supposed to, and Betty had told Steve that he'd have to watch for that and offer a bottle if Bruce wasn't drinking.

In between bites of his own cake, the cold ice cream sweet and creamy, he offered the nipple to Bruce. Bruce came over and sniffed at it a couple of times before opening his mouth to accept it. He suckled at the nipple, half-closing his eyes, and Steve saw his throat move as he swallowed.

Then Tony was there, mouth covered in ice cream, nosing in at the bottle. Steve gave him a gentle push. 

"No, Tony," he scolded. "Go drink from the water bowl. You're old enough to do that."

Tony whined. Bruce paused at the sound and backed off, leaving space for Tony to get at the nipple of the bottle. Steve pulled it out of reach.

"No," he said again, more firmly.

Tony whimpered again and gazed up at Steve with the most heartbreaking set of brown eyes that Steve had ever seen. He looked at Bruce and then at Steve, and against his will Steve heard his own voice saying that Tony and Bruce were 'something of a package deal'. Damn it.

Reluctantly, he offered Tony the nipple. Tony latched on immediately, sucking down the water like he was starving. Bruce whoofed in approval.

Two seconds later, Clint's head popped up over Steve's lap and he whined.

"Are you kidding me?" Steve said.

Bucky laughed at him. "It's because they know you're a pushover."

"Shut up, Buck."

In the meantime, Phil had prepared a bottle of milk for Skye, but he walked over to Steve and offered a second bottle of water. "Here, you take Tony and Bruce. Bucky can give Clint some water."

"I'm not feeding him from a bottle," Bucky protested.

Clint padded over to him. He draped his head on Bucky's knee and whimpered as though he was dying of thirst. Bucky lasted for approximately fifteen seconds before he broke down and grabbed a third bottle of water out of Phil's hand.

"Damn spoiled dogs," he muttered, though there was no mistaking the gentle way his fingers combed through Clint's hair as Clint nuzzled and sucked. Clint lost interest after a couple of minutes anyway, though Bruce and Tony drank both bottles from Steve.

When everyone was finished, Steve stood up. "Alright, movie time."


	5. Chapter 5

Not even a year ago, Bucky had been seriously worried about his best friend. The only thing that Steve had in his life was his job and Bucky, and by extension Natasha and Clint. And while Bucky was the first to point out that he was an awesome friend, thank you very much, that didn't mean that he wasn't perfectly aware that Steve needed more.

The problem was that every date that Steve went on either ended in a disaster or just plain fizzled out; the longest that Steve had dated anyone was Peggy Carter about five years ago, and six weeks into the relationship the two of them had parted ways amicably after Peggy's ex-girlfriend moved back into town and she admitted to Steve that she was still in love with Angie. 

Steve would never admit it, but Bucky had been able to tell that he was lonely. That was the whole reason he'd dragged Steve along to the puppy play convention in the first place. Well, he'd used the excuse that Natasha and Clint could be a handful for one person when out in public - and to be honest, that wasn't really an excuse so much as the actual truth. More than once those two had teamed up on Bucky and they were just so damn cute when all was said and done that it was pretty much impossible to get or stay mad.

But the real reason was just the hope that Steve might meet someone, or at least find out more about a lifestyle that might suit him. Bucky had suspected for a while that Steve might do well with a puppy or a kitten of his own, mostly because Steve was the biggest mother hen that Bucky had ever come across in his life. He seemed to have this pathological need to take care of everyone around him. Actually, Bucky'd thought that Steve would be an incredible caregiver for a little, but Steve had been adamant that he didn't want a little and wasn't even sure about a kitten or puppy. 

Now, looking at the way that Tony crawled into Steve's lap on the couch, Bucky had to admit that he couldn't have imagined a better match for Steve, and it was hard to believe that there was ever a time when Steve wasn't sure he was into this. Steve wrapped his arms around Tony and very carefully shifted the pup's weight, then laughed when Tony whined cutely and obediently tilted his head down for better access. Tony beamed and eagerly licked Steve's cheek several times before Steve straightened up again.

Sickeningly cute.

Bucky had been a little unsure about Tony Stark at first, and sometimes he still didn't know if he actually liked the cocky little asshole or if he just wanted to punch Tony and be done with it. But then again, the proof was in how a good portion of Steve's attitude had done a complete turn-around since he and Tony started dating: Steve didn't mope around, he didn't stay at his job working hours of unnecessary overtime, and he smiled a hell of a lot more than he ever had before. All of which was very beneficial for Bucky too, since Steve now had the chance to work out all his mothering and fussing on Tony and that meant Bucky had to suffer through a lot less of it.

So all in all, Tony's assholish personality aside, Bucky considered it a win-win.

It was just a huge bonus that Tony was a puppy, because it meant they could have nights like this. Bucky ran his eye over the room with a swell of satisfaction. Thor had commandeered one of the couches, as he so frequently did, and had Loki on one side and Jane on the other. None of the puppies wanted to go near Loki right now - when Loki was tired, the claws tended to come out - which meant that there was a wide berth around that couch and that couch alone.

Steve had sat down in a chair, but of course Tony had sat at his feet and whimpered with big eyes until Steve let him up. Bruce was still sitting at Steve's feet, washing his right front paw with his tongue, apparently unbothered by the fact that he was still on the floor. Coulson had sat down in a chair too, Skye in his lap. She was yawning and sucking her thumb, and if Bucky knew his littles the way he thought he did, it would be a matter of minutes before Skye passed out. Actually, judging by how frequently Bruce was yawning, he wouldn't be far behind.

As for Bucky, he'd taken the other couch with the idea in mind that he'd be able to stretch out alone, since he thought that Natasha would end up on the floor with Bruce and Clint was well aware that puppies weren't permitted on the furniture. Instead, Natasha - now dressed in a cute pair of blue pajamas patterned with green, frolicking kittens - had curled up under his left arm. Clint was kneeling on the ground in front of him. Bucky tried not to look at him, tried to pretend that he was absorbed in 101 Dalmatians, but every few seconds a paw would lightly tap at his leg just to remind him that Clint was still there.

Finally, Bucky sighed. "You know puppies aren't allowed on the furniture," he said to Clint.

Clint whimpered pathetically and looked over his shoulder at Tony and Steve. As though to rub in the whole matter, Tony tucked his head under Steve's chin and dramatically nuzzled into him. Eyes on the television, Steve absently lifted a hand and started to pet Tony's hair. Tony closed his eyes in bliss and went lax, visibly melting with a contented sigh.

Asshole.

"You are so whipped," Bucky said, disgusted.

Steve rolled his eyes and shot him an amused look. "You can keep pretending that you're not going to let Clint up beside you like you do _every single time_ or you can just save us all some grief and let him up now."

"I don't cave every single time," Bucky protested.

Coulson snorted. "Yes you do."

"I'm afraid I must concur," Thor added, lightly rubbing Loki's tummy. How he was getting away with it, Bucky had no idea. 

"I hate all of you. Especially you, you're the worst influence of all," Bucky muttered, glaring at Steve. Steve smirked back at him. Clint whined, drawing Bucky's attention back to him. Just a glimpse of those pleading brown eyes made his heart melt in spite of his determination to remain firm this time, and he sighed again as he patted the cushion beside him. In a flash, Clint was up on the couch and gleefully sprawling half on top of him.

One by one, all of them fell asleep without ever making it to bed. Bucky was one of the last to drift off, and he managed to find the remote under Clint's body and click the television off. Just before the light went out, he caught one last glimpse of Tony and Steve: even in his sleep, Steve's arms were wrapped protectively around his pup. Tony, in turn, was curled so tightly into Steve that a piece of paper wouldn't have fit between them. In spite of himself, Bucky's mouth tugged into a smile. He fell asleep with that smile still on his face.

The smell of bacon woke him up the next morning; he pried his eyes open and looked around the room blearily, realizing that it was morning. Most of his friends were still sprawled around the room sleeping. Only Clint and Coulson were missing. In Coulson's absence, Skye had been placed on the couch beside Bucky. It took effort to extract himself from between Natasha and Skye without waking either one of them, but his bladder was complaining way too much for him to stay. He left the girls cuddling into each other and hurried into the bathroom to relieve himself.

That done, he wandered into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, he found Clint and Coulson cooking breakfast. Clint was still wearing his collar, but it hung open around his throat. He was wearing a pair of jeans over the fur-covered underwear he wore as a puppy, but his chest was still bare. In all honesty, he looked pretty sexy and Bucky couldn't resist walking over to give him a kiss good morning. Clint kissed back until he realized that the bacon was starting to burn, at which point he shoved Bucky away and hastily began trying to save the meat.

"Did we wake you?" Coulson asked, giving Clint a fond look. He gently bumped Clint aside and turned the burner off, lifting both frying pans out of the way. 

"Yes, but in a good way," Bucky replied, patting his stomach. Supper seemed like it had been a very long time ago, and he was starving. He was also positive that it would only be a matter of time before everyone else woke up for the same reason.

"I wanted to cook us breakfast. I hope you don't mind," Clint said.

Bucky shook his head. "I never mind. Whether you want to be a pup or human is your choice, you know that." He fingered the open collar, liking the way Clint's cheeks flushed at his touch. "Are you planning to stay like this for the rest of the day, or did you want me to help you back down into your headspace before we eat?"

"I'm not very far out of it," Clint admitted, turning his head and nipping lightly at Bucky's fingers. "So yes."

"Breakfast is just about ready, if you guys want to wake everyone else up," Coulson said. "Or I can, since Skye will probably need to be changed."

"I'll leave that to you," Bucky said, gladly taking Coulson's place in front of the stove. He would much rather cook pancakes than change diapers. There was a reason that he and Natasha worked as well as they did, and part of that was Natasha's very firm insistence that, as a big girl, she could use the potty just fine on her own. Barring the rare accident, of course. 

By the time that breakfast was finished, everyone was awake and starving. Bucky set the pancakes down on the table and sat, not surprised when Clint came and knelt at his feet - the jeans were gone and his collar was re-fastened, and he was wearing his puppy ears again. He blinked up at Bucky and licked his lips. Bucky smiled back but held up a finger in the universal 'wait a minute' sign; he leaned over and carefully cut Natasha's pancakes into very small pieces that she could eat by herself before he turned to his own plate. He cut a piece of pancake, dipped it into syrup, and held it out for Clint to eat.

Clint made a big deal of sniffing the pancake, like he was really going to say no to it, before he took a little nibble. Apparently it was acceptable, because he took the rest from Bucky's fingers with a huff of approval. Bucky rolled his eyes - there was a reason that Clint had his own bowl at home, a large purple one that had his name written on it in gold in Natasha's cursive handwriting - but kept feeding him with his fingers, and he could almost pinpoint the moment when Clint sank back down into his puppy headspace. The pup relaxed, leaning his chin on Bucky's knee.

"Thanks for breakfast, guys," Steve said, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth. He was sitting on the other side of the table, and Bucky could just see the tips of Tony's ears bobbing back and forth as Steve's hand disappeared under the table with another bit of bacon.

"Our pleasure," Coulson said, answering for both him and Clint. "I'm afraid that Skye and I have to take our leave now."

"What?" Natasha exclaimed, head popping up. "No! Skye and I were gonna play beauty parlor with the puppies!"

Bruce, Tony and Clint all whimpered with dismay at the same time. Bucky had to bite his lip in an effort to keep from laughing. Steve did the same thing.

"We have errands to run today," Coulson said, but he was clearly weakening.

"Beauty parlor!" Skye said, slamming her hands on the door. "Beauty parlor, Dada!"

"You're welcome to stay," Steve said, unable to keep from grinning. "I was going to set the pool up for the pups, since it's so nice outside. Thor, Buck, would you mind giving me a hand with that?"

"Of course," Thor said with a nod. Bucky nodded too.

Coulson sighed. "I guess we can put our errands off," he agreed reluctantly. "I didn't bring a swimsuit with me for Skye, though."

"You can borrow one of Natasha's. I'm sure there's more than one somewhere upstairs," Steve said, which - yeah, that sounded about right now that Bucky thought about it. For some reason, Natasha was infamous for having clothing all over the place. He was pretty sure that the last time they'd hung out at Coulson's, Natasha had even had a sweater stashed away in Skye's closet.

"Sounds like we've got a plan," Bucky said, clapping his hands together. "Why don't you take the girls upstairs and get them ready, and Steve, Thor and I will take the puppies and kitties outside with us while we set up the pool." Steve's yard had a fence, so it was the best place for a bunch of rambunctious pets. At least out there no one would be able to break anything, and it would be relatively easy to keep an eye on them.

"Fine," Coulson said with another sigh. Both girls cheered, and his mouth reluctantly tugged up into a smile. "Come on, girls. Let's go get dressed in your swimsuits, okay?"

"Yay!" Natasha cheered, jumping to her feet. She raced out of the room with Skye toddling behind her. Coulson followed them more slowly, an indulgent look on his face.

While Steve cleared the breakfast dishes, Thor and Bucky herded Tony, Bruce, Clint, Loki and Jane outside. Tony did _not_ want to go outside without Steve. As soon as he realized that Steve hadn't followed them out, he sat by the back door and whined plaintively, scratching at the door. He looked so broken-hearted at being separated that even Bucky felt a little sorry for him, but knowing that Tony could still see Steve through the glass portion of the door assuaged any guilt he might have been feeling. Steve wouldn't take long to finish up, anyway.

"Steve keeps the pool in the shed," he said to Thor.

"Let us grab it!" Thor declared enthusiastically, and at least someone was looking forward to the job. Bucky sure wasn't. The box the pool was crammed into was heavy as hell even with the two of them. Bucky was sweating by the time they'd figured out how to squeeze it through the shed's door - seriously, he had no idea how Steve and Clint had fit it in there last time. Then they had to figure out how to connect the air pump to the pool itself so that it could inflate. For some reason, the hose did not want to stay fastened even though the instructions clearly stated that it was as simple as pressing the hose to the valve and twisting it to lock them together. When Bucky tried that, the hose slipped off every damn time.

"I'm about ready to blow this up with my own two lungs," Bucky muttered, scowling down at the innocent-looking hose. For the first time, he wished Tony wasn't in his puppy headspace. It would've taken Tony all of two seconds to figure out what they were doing wrong. Bucky had been at it for a good five minutes and he wasn't getting any further, but he was getting ready to throw up his hands and forget the pool altogether.

"I think we would be here most of the day," Thor said, not unkindly. "Here, I will hold it in place until Steve comes outside." He knelt and did just that, pressing the hose to the pool's valve. "Turn it on."

Bucky obeyed, flipping the pump on. It rumbled to life, scaring Bruce out of his wits. The poor pup fled and hid behind the tree as though the pool was chasing him. Biting back a sigh, Bucky followed him and crouched down, talking to him softly. Bruce didn't stop shaking until the pump switched off, and even then he continued to shiver a little. Bucky petted his hair and gave him a hug, glancing around the tree. The pool was fully inflated and the last thing they had to do was fill it up with water. Thank god. When Steve had asked for help, Bucky hadn't realized that meant he and Thor would be doing the work. 

"Look, pup, don't you wanna play in the pool?" he asked gently.

Bruce twitched at the mention of the pool. He peeked up at Bucky.

"Yeah, that's right. You love swimming with Tony and Clint, don't you? I bet Natasha would be crushed if you decided to stay here instead of swimming with everyone else."

Natasha's name was all it took to make Bruce slowly lean into him, accepting the hug. When Bucky tried to coax him out from behind the tree he followed, shooting an uncertain glance in the direction of the pool. The pump remained quiet though since the pool was done, and now the only sound was from the hose as it filled the pool with water. Clint and Loki were hanging over the side, watching its progress, which was amusing at least in Loki's case. Like any real cat, Loki abhorred water when he was in his kitten headspace.

The first - and only - time he'd ever gone into the pool was because Skye had accidentally pushed him in. From the way Loki had reacted, you would have thought he'd been pushed into boiling hot lava instead of water. He'd released an angry screech and clambered straight over the side of the pool, scaled the tree and sat there for hours hissing and spitting at anyone who tried to come close, even Thor. It wasn't until his hair, skin and clothing fully dried that Thor was able to bribe him down from the tree with a saucer of milk and a plate of freshly shredded barbeque chicken.

The back door banged as Steve finally joined them; Bucky glanced up just in time to hear Tony's welcoming yelp and see the pup practically leap into Steve's arms. Steve just laughed and scooped him up, moving out of the way for Coulson, Natasha and Skye. Coulson was carrying Natasha's backpack over one arm, which Bucky highly suspected was crammed full of Natasha's beauty supplies. He had the sinking feeling that there was some make-up and hair-ties and clips in his very near future, and he fought the urge to put a hand over his bun protectively. 

"Sorry it took so long," Steve called to them. "Natasha needed some help picking out which suit she wanted to wear."

"Just how many does she have here?" Bucky muttered under his breath. 

"It is probably best you don't know," Thor replied, and Bucky had to concede the point.

"Swim?" Skye asked shyly as she reached them.

Bucky smiled at her. "It's almost ready, kiddo," he said. "See?" He put his hand over the side of the pool to demonstrate. Skye copied him and giggled as the water lapped against her fingertips.

It was a pretty big pool, about twenty feet around and about three feet deep, so it took a while to fill with water. Steve and Tony had chosen this size on purpose; it was large enough to accommodate almost everyone who wanted to be in all at once, but it wasn't so deep that they had to worry about a puppy, kitten or little slipping under water and drowning. 

But no one wanted to be patient, and frankly Bucky couldn't blame them. He held Natasha's hand while she clambered over the side, making sure that she was steady on her feet before he let go. The water wasn't even up to her calves, so he felt confident that she would be okay if he didn't get in with her. Instead, he bent down and grabbed Clint around the waist, giving the pup the boost he needed to haul himself up and over the wall. Clint slid into the pool with a tremendous splash, soaking Natasha from the waist down. Luckily, Bucky's little girl just giggled.

Steve - after he finished consoling Tony for their brief separation, and promising the pup that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, which was sweet in a way that Bucky concerned sickening - helped Tony in, and then Jane, since Thor was hanging back with Loki. Much to everyone's surprise, Jane was a kitten who actually liked the pool, though she'd made it clear she did not enjoy getting her ears or head wet. Then he lifted in Bruce, who splashed at the water a couple of times before wiggling his butt so hard his tail shook too. Bucky bit his lip to hold back a laugh.

The last one in was Skye, and Bucky was proud to notice that all of the puppies stayed clear of her until she was sitting on the bottom of the pool. Then Tony splashed over to her and leaned into her side. Skye patted his head gently and then splashed him in the face. Bucky laughed out loud at the incredulous look on Tony's face, like the pup wanted to be mad but wasn't really sure what had just happened. 

"Toys?" Natasha asked, looking hopefully at Steve.

"Right here," Thor said, returning to the pool. He tossed in a couple of inflatable toys and then some pails, along with several rubber ducks. Clint went crazy upon seeing the ducks, barking and leaping for them. Several of the ducks quacked when his full weight came down on top of them, but they were so slippery that they popped out from under Clint and floated away. Bucky couldn't help it; he started laughing all over again.


	6. Chapter 6

It didn't take long before Natasha grew bored with splashing around in the water. Steve had been watching her out of the corner of his eye and he could pinpoint the exact moment when she decided that it was time to do something else. Sure enough, she put her hands up on the side of the pool and started to climb out. Bucky hurried to help her, wrapping an arm around her waist in case she slipped. The second her feet hit the grass, Natasha squirmed away from him and ran over to the backpack that Coulson had carried out with him. She dumped the contents on the ground.

Immediately, Tony whimpered. Steve looked down at him, mouth twitching with amusement, as his pup slowly sank beneath the surface of the water until all you could see was his eyes, forehead and ears. You couldn't really blame him. Natasha could get truly creative when it came to playing beauty salon. He patted Tony's hair sympathetically and tried not to grimace as Natasha picked up her favorite set of pink hair clips. He knew from experience that the clips were very sharp, and, when held by little fingers, could get unexpectedly jabbed into the back of your head.

"Daddy," Natasha called.

Bucky winced, but hid it well. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Skye and I want to play beauty parlor."

"I think Skye is swimming," Bucky said, but no such luck. The moment Skye heard the words 'beauty parlor', her head shot up and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Yes! Skye too!" she yelled happily.

"Damnit," Bucky muttered under his breath. Louder, he asked, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather play with one of the puppies?"

If looks could kill, Bucky would've been six feet under from the combined glares of Clint, Tony and Bruce. Natasha just shook her head. "No, Daddy. They've been in the pool and their hair is all wet," she said. "It will take too long to dry. Uncle Steve's hair is too short, and Uncle Phil doesn't have any hair to play with. Please? Don't you want to play with me?" Her lower lip trembled just a little, a sign of a potential incoming bout of tears, and Bucky gave in immediately.

"Of course I want to play with you, baby girl. I always do. Maybe you could do my hair and Skye could do Loki's, since he didn't get in the pool either."

Hearing that, Loki's head shot up. He was still up in the tree, barely visible through the leaves, but he stuck his head down far enough to see them and hissed threateningly. His hair fell down around his shoulders and Natasha eyed it with open longing.

"I will volunteer myself," Thor said a little too quickly. "Loki is very tired right now, and I'm not sure he's in the mood to play."

Natasha thought about that for a second before nodding. "Okay. But I wanna do your hair. Skye can do Daddy's."

"An acceptable compromise," Thor said, smiling at her. Unlike Bucky, he didn't seem to be mind taking a seat on the ground in front of the patio. Natasha knelt behind him, tongue between her teeth as she grabbed fistfuls of his blond hair. Bucky sat down beside him with a lot more reluctance. Coulson helped Skye out of the pool and led her over to the patio; she knelt behind Bucky and giggled as Bucky released the pins on his bun, letting his hair down. 

Steve had never been so grateful that he kept his hair relatively short, especially when he spotted the make-up that Natasha had crammed into the pile. It wasn't that he minded playing beauty parlor with Natasha, but it was way more fun to see the resigned look on Bucky's face as Skye jabbed the first bobby pin into his head. He bit back a laugh and turned to the pool only to see the three pups and Jane gathered up right behind him, watching with identical expressions of amusement. Jane in particular had wet her hair at some point during the past five minutes, which was very interesting considering she'd been making it a point to keep her head above water before.

"What do you say to a game of fetch?" Steve suggested, picking up one of the inflatable toys. "Bruce, you ready?"

Bruce bobbed his head, eyes fixed on the toy. Steve tossed it gently and grinned as Bruce launched himself into the air, madly flailing his arms and legs in an effort to get closer to the toy. Clint started to dart towards it too, but Steve caught his arm to stop him. He showed Clint one of the rubber ducky toys, waited until Clint was completely absorbed in it, and then threw the ducky. Clint shot after him, nearly running into Bruce. Steve shook his head and grabbed a second inflatable toy, this one a snake, for Tony to fetch.

Jane gave all three of the pups a disdainful look and climbed out of the pool. She slunk away, aiming for the far side of the yard where Steve's garden grew, and plunked herself down in a patch of sunshine. She stretched out on her back, face tilted up towards the sun. Steve decided to leave her alone, figuring that she'd probably had her fill of playing for the moment. She was a much sweeter kitten than Loki but even she had her limits, and the last thing he wanted was for one of the pups to get a claw to the nose for trying to get too close when she didn't want to be bothered.

He threw the toys one after the other for close to twenty minutes before Tony grew tired; he watched the snake fall on the other side of the pool but didn't go after it, though that didn't stop Clint from dramatically pouncing on it instead. Instead, he turned back to Steve and nuzzled at Steve's hand, whining under his breath. Steve, realizing that he'd exhausted the pup, cupped Tony's cheek and gave him a smile.

"Want to get out?" he asked, already reaching into the pool. Tony scrabbled at the side, doing more to hinder than to help, but finally he was over the side. He sat down on the grass, dripping wet, and shivered.

"Cold, baby?" Steve said sympathetically. He rubbed his hands on his jeans to dry them off and checked his phone. The pups had been in the pool for close to two hours. Maybe it was time for them to get out and have a snack. He called to Bruce and Clint, who came running - or rather, swimming - at the mention of the word food. Steve helped them both out and looked at the patio.

He couldn't help laughing when he saw the colorful array of hair clips in Bucky's now pink hair. Apparently, Skye had located some spray-on hair dye and she hadn't hesitated to use it in between sticking the clips in as well. Thor's hair was now bright blue, and Natasha was in the middle of doing her third braid. She tied the braid off, then began braiding the three smaller braids into one. Bucky glared at Steve, but Thor just grinned. 

"How about a snack?" Steve suggested.

"Cookies?" Skye asked, dropping the clip in her hand. She looked at Coulson hopefully. "Dada, cookie?"

"I think we could find some cookies for you," Coulson said, locking his phone and putting it back in his pocket. Knowing him, he'd probably been doing some paperwork or answering emails while Skye was otherwise distracted. 

"Cookies!" Skye cheered, clapping her hands.

"What do you say to Bucky for letting him do his hair, Skye?"

"T'anks, Bucky," Skye said shyly, sticking her thumb in her mouth.

Bucky's face softened. "You're welcome, sprout."

"There!" Natasha declared, tying Thor's braid off with a bright green scrunchie. "All done."

"It looks lovely," Steve said, trying to keep a straight face. 

Natasha preened. "I know."

"What do you say?" Bucky asked, patting his hair tentatively.

"Thanks Uncle Thor!" Natasha said. "Can I have a cookie too now, Daddy?"

"Cookies for everyone," said Steve. "Phil, would you mind grabbing some towels for the pups while I get some snacks?"

"Not at all." Coulson got up and went into the house. Steve moved to follow, but discovered a problem: a very clingy puppy had wrapped his arms around Steve's leg, preventing him from moving. Tony stared up at him with big eyes.

"Tony, I just have to go into the house for a minute," Steve said.

Tony barked at him and held on tighter.

"You're all wet. You'll make puddles in the kitchen," Steve tried, knowing that his words were falling on deaf ears. He guessed he should've seen this coming. Tony could be clingy in general when he was a puppy (and when he was a human, for that matter, but that was another story), but when other people were around he could be even worse. 

One time, Steve had ended up covered in paint while helping Natasha draw, and he'd gone into the bathroom to shower while Bucky kept an eye on Tony, Clint and Natasha. Not even three minutes into the shower, the most mournful howls Steve had ever heard had started up. Thinking something was wrong, he'd nearly broken his neck trying to get out of the shower and to Tony, who'd thrown himself at Steve like he thought Steve had abandoned him.

Plus, he'd already been separated from Tony once today. Even if it had only been for a little while, he figured that was probably pushing his luck. Water on the floor was nothing compared to how upset Tony could get if he believed that Steve was gone. He reached down and patted Tony's head, trying to comfort him without words. The desperation with which Tony nosed into his hand suggested that leaving him outside would not be the best idea, surrounded by friends or not. He had no interest in spending the rest of the day calming Tony down after a panic attack.

"Come on," he said in a low voice, moving to walk up the steps. Tony followed. Steve held the door open for him and then stepped inside, blowing out a pleased breath when the air conditioner hit him. He hadn't realized how warm it was outside until he was back indoors. Maybe along with the cookies, he'd whip up some cold lemonade.

Tony, good pup that he was, sat patiently at Steve's feet while Steve got out the lemons and started putting them into the juicer. Coulson came downstairs a couple minutes later and smiled when he saw Tony, though he didn't say a word. He just left two of the towels on the table for Steve and headed outside with the rest. While the lemons were juicing, Steve grabbed the towels and quickly patted Tony dry. 

"You're a silly boy," he said, dropping one of them over Tony's head. Tony barked and jerked his head, pawing at the towel. Steve chuckled and ruffled his hair with the towel; when it slid off, Tony's hair was sticking straight up and his ears were sliding off. He pouted at Steve.

Steve grinned back and fixed his ears, then draped one towel around Tony's shoulders. The other, he dropped on the floor and pushed around with his foot to wipe up the water that had dripped off of Tony while he finished the lemons. He poured the juice into a pitcher and added water and sugar. He tasted it a couple of times, adding more sugar, until he deemed it to be sweet enough.

Angie had sent over a large box of cookies for him and Tony last week, and Steve grabbed the rest of them on his way out the door. He handed the cookies and the lemonade to Coulson and ducked back into the house for napkins and plastic cups, snagging a couple of bottles for Bruce and Skye. He was not surprised to find the whole group swarming the cookies by the time he and Tony made it back to the patio.

"Yummy cookies!" Skye declared, taking a huge bite.

"Angie is a great cook," Steve agreed, sitting down and passing a bottle to Coulson. Thankfully, this time Clint and Tony seemed content to lap the lemonade out of a couple bowls that Bucky had filled for them, and he was able to give Bruce a bottle of the lemonade without having to share it with anyone else.

"This was most delightful," Thor said, stuffing a whole cookie in his mouth. Once he'd swallowed, he added, "But I'm afraid we must be on our way. Jane has a hair appointment this afternoon and she wouldn't be very pleased if I allowed her to miss it."

"We have to go too," Coulson said regretfully. "Much as I'd love to stay, there are some things that Skye and I really have to get done."

“Us too,” Bucky added with a glance at his watch. “Natasha works tonight. She’ll want some time to get back to herself before she has to go.”

“Don’t wanna work,” Natasha said.

“I know, baby, but you have to.” Bucky patted her hand. “Big Natasha would come after me with knives if I let her get fired from her job for not showing up.”

“Would not,” Natasha muttered, but Bucky looked at Steve with an expression that plainly said ‘yes she would’. 

“It’s okay,” Steve said to her. “Maybe we can do another sleepover in a couple weeks. We could make a fort with some blankets… or better yet we can set up a tent in the backyard and build a campfire. We’ll put the pool up again so that you guys can swim, and we can have hot dogs and s’mores and sleep out under the stars. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Natasha frowned, but slowly nodded. “Can I bring my sleeping bag?”

“Of course you can. We’ll all have sleeping bags.”

“Can Skye come?”

“If she wants to.”

Apparently, that was an acceptable compromise. “Okay.”

“Thank you,” Bucky mouthed at Steve.

The party broke up shortly after that. Thor coaxed Loki down from the tree and carried him out to the car. Jane followed, waving shyly. Coulson and Skye left right after them; Natasha and Skye hugged for several long moments until Coulson very gently pried them apart. Skye had tears in her eyes as they walked to the car, but after he’d strapped her in Coulson handed her a teddy bear and then she was all smiles.

“Is Bruce staying with you tonight?” Bucky asked as he packed up the car. Steve had left Tony and Bruce in the house. It was the middle of the day on a Saturday – it wasn’t safe for them to be outside on the front lawn where Steve wasn’t paying full attention because he was helping Bucky and anyone walking by could see them. He could see Tony out of the corner of his eye though, smooshed up against the window watching and whimpering, and had to steel himself against the guilt.

“Yeah, he is. Betty is out of town until tomorrow. She said she thought she’d get back around 2pm or so. She’ll stop by and pick him up on her way through.”

Bucky grunted, tossing Natasha’s backpack in the trunk. “You want to get a pizza or something for supper then? Clint’s got plans and I think Natasha’s working again.”

“Sure. Come over around six.”

“Sounds good.”

“Come on, Nat, quick!” 

Steve turned just in time to see Clint ushering Natasha out of the house while blocking Bruce with his legs, preventing the pup from getting out of the house. Clint was fully dressed now, wearing jeans and one of Bucky’s t-shirts. There was no sign of his ears, tail or collar. Natasha was still little though, and she pouted as Clint took her hand to walk her over to the car.

“Daddy, do we have to go?” she asked. “I wanna stay and play with the puppies.”

“There’s not going to be any playing,” Steve told her. He was exhausted, and he was pretty sure the pups felt the same way. “I want Tony to rest as much as he can this weekend, and he didn’t sleep that well Thursday night. Plus he’s had a busy couple of days. I’m going to see if he and Bruce will settle down enough to take a nap. I don’t think you want to stick around and nap with us, do you?”

“No way!” Natasha said instantly. “Naps are boring.” She jumped into the backseat. Clint, laughing, clapped Steve on the shoulder and followed.

“I swear, with the way you can talk her around, you totally should’ve had a little,” Bucky muttered.

“I don’t need one. I can play with yours and then send her back to you when she gets tired and cranky,” Steve said with a grin.

Bucky glared at him. “I hate you sometimes.”

“Yup, I know.”

He stood back as Bucky got in the driver’s seat and waved to Natasha as the car backed down the driveway. Natasha waved back frantically until the car was out of sight. Only then did Steve head back into the house. He was prepared when he opened the door, catching Tony in the middle of a full-on tackle. The pup whined, licking Steve’s cheek and shaking.

“Tony, sweetheart, I was just outside,” Steve said soothingly, petting his hair. “I had to say goodbye to Bucky.”

Tony pouted at him and whined again, rubbing his cheek against Steve’s.

“I know. I’m sorry. Come on, why don’t we sit down on the couch and watch some television? Bruce, c’mon.” Steve beckoned to the pup and carried Tony over to the couch. Bruce jumped up beside him and spent a couple of minutes poking and prodding at the blankets that had been covering Natasha and Skye. Every time Steve thought he’d found a comfortable spot and would settle down, he’d get back up again and keep nudging. Finally, Steve couldn’t take it anymore. He reached out and gently pushed him down. 

Bruce landed on his side with a light thump and looked up at Steve, blinking. 

“Sorry, but seriously. Pick a spot, Bruce.”

Bruce huffed at him but remained where he was. He did shift onto his other side and curl up with his back to Steve, which was as clear a message as Steve could get. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, pulling the blanket up over the pup so that he wouldn’t get cold. Bruce sighed and squirmed until the blanket had fallen down over his head, then went quiet and still.

Too bad the same couldn’t be said for Tony. He was plastered against Steve – literally, since he was curled up in Steve’s lap and was laying against Steve’s chest. But it was like he couldn’t get close enough. He kept squirming around, pushing his face into Steve’s neck and making a high, thin whining sound in the back of his throat.

“Shh, baby,” Steve murmured to him. He took matters into his own hands, twisting a bit and sliding Tony’s weight to the other side. He wrapped his arms around Tony, pinning him in place, and pulled the pup back until they were lined head-to-toe, Tony’s back to his chest. Then he started to rub slow, easy circles on Tony’s bare belly. It wasn’t something they did a whole lot because Tony was ticklish, but Steve was learning just the right amount of pressure to use.

Very slowly, Tony relaxed and his eyes slid shut. Steve could pinpoint the moment when he fell asleep, the remaining tension disappearing as he went completely slack in Steve’s arms. Steve smiled to himself and kept rubbing his belly, pressing a kiss to the back of Tony’s head. He figured he could spend a couple of hours like this, comfortably settled between two pups, and maybe take a little nap himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


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